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warranty in the place where the sample was purchased, but
here case-law steps in and decides that such proceedings shall
only apply to the first or principal warranty given (other
warranties, if any, to be dealt with in the place or places where
executed), and must be taken within 6 months from the date of
such warranty or warranties. Further, a label on a churn may be
a warranty, and in such a case the date of the warranty is the date
on which the milk is despatched in such churn.
Alterations in Kept Samples of Milk.
An important circular has been issued during 1903 (August
17th), by the Board of Agriculture, stating that, except in a
limited number of exceptional cases, there is no practical
difficulty in accurately inferring the composition of milk, when
fresh, from the analysis of the milk when sour. The change
which takes place in a sample of milk kept from contact with
air, as in a bottle nearly full of the sample, and fitted with a
good sound cork, sealed with wax, is, as a rule, comparatively
slight—a loss only of from 0'2 to 0.3 per cent. in the case of
samples properly preserved for a period varying from 3 to 6
weeks. This loss is due to alteration in composition of the nonfatty
solids, more particularly the milk sugar, due to the first
fermentation change—the so-called "lactic acid fermentation,"
with the formation of lactic acid, ethylic alcohol, and acetic acid.
In connection with the second fermentation change—the
so-called "butyric acid fermentation," the amount of free acid
is so increased, and the casein is separated out in such a way,
as to render any satisfactory analysis of samples (so affected)
impossible. Fortunately, this second fermentation change rarely,
if ever, takes place in the case of samples properly taken and
kept by Inspectors.
These results have been obtained from a large number of
anaylses carefully made, and are most important from the point
of view of the efficient carrying out of the Food and Drugs
Acts.